


Facing his demons

by nicodiver



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Fluff, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, I love metaphors, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, Metaphors, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Will tries to comfort him, Winston is a cutie, hannibal is moody, i loved writing him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:46:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5041756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicodiver/pseuds/nicodiver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas time is approaching, Hannibal and Will receive a much unexpected letter from one of Hannibal's relatives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Facing his demons

Snow was falling in heavy flakes outside the window, covering the brown ground with a fine white layer. The leafless trees got a robe of snow when the white flakes covered them. The sun lay low in the sky, not close enough to make the newly fallen snow melt away.

Will walked through the snow, a beanie covering his curls from the snow. His cheeks were red from the cold, a smile beamed across his lips. An orange-red dog with black sprinkles ran beside him, played happily around and rolled in the snow. Its tongue was hanging outside its mouth. Will ran beside it, laughing and threw small clouds of snow over the dog that barked happily return. The dog suddenly lunged at Will with a wagging tail and wrestled him down in the snow, licking his face happily. Will laughed even more and buried his fingers into the soft fur and kissed the dog's nose, a snowflake had fallen on top of its nose. It cooled Will’s lips.

"Hey Winston," Will smiled happily and scratched the dog behind the ears. Winston wildly waved his tail and barked before he dropped off Will and continued to run around in the snow. Will rose from the ground and brushed off the little snow that gotten on his clothes. He looked toward the house which had colorful lights blinking across the rooftop. A large Christmas tree stood diagonally to the entrance, light bulbs blinked happily in its thick pine needles, a small star glittered anonymously on the top in the colorful light.

He walked to the large window that led to the kitchen and looked inside, Hannibal stood at the stove, a white apron covered his upper body, and his face concentrated as he stirred the toffee he was making. Will felt a warm feeling spread in his body. It was their first Christmas together as a married couple, last Christmas had been chaotic since they had been on the run from the FBI, but now it was quiet. For the moment at least. Hannibal’s wedding ring sparkled in the light from the ceiling, Will looked down at his own ring and smiled at it.

Winston stroked his head on Will's hand, gave it a quick lick with his tongue. Will crouched in front of the dog and stroked his back.

"Do you want to go inside?" he asked Winston and he could swear that the dog blinked a yes with his eyes. This dog was smarter than one would think.

Will caressed him quickly and then went up the stairs, stomping off the little snow that was stuck under his shoes before walking through the door. A wave of heat and the smell of freshly made toffee met him, a feeling of happiness spread through him while he took off his shoes and jacket. Winston waited patiently for him with faint wagging tail. They went into the bathroom, Winston obediently jumped into the bathtub while Will fetched a towel and dried him carefully.

Hannibal peered into the bathroom, Will felt his presence and turned to him. Hannibal's face turned into a big smile when Will looked at him, he could never stop smiling whenever Wills gaze rested on him. He took a few steps into the bathroom and sat on the toilet, his hand resting on Will's back. Will felt the hard surface of the ring against his back and smiled. He would always be happy that Hannibal had chosen _him_ and no one else.

"Did you have it nice outside?" Hannibal asked softly, stroking his fingers over Will's spine which made Will shiver of pleasure. Winston licked his mouth embarrassingly and jumped out of the tub, he disappeared into the living room and lay down by the fire with a satisfied sigh.

Will turned to Hannibal, nodding.

"We had great fun, Winston wrestled me down in the snow," he grinned. His cold fingers was enveloped by Hannibal's warm hands. A kiss on the forehead made him smile even bigger.

"It sounds like you had a great time in the snow together," Hannibal murmured with his eyes fixed in Will's eyes as he stroked his hands gently over Wills’.

Will's heart started beating a little faster, he would never get used to Hannibal's warmth and closeness. It was always new and exciting, no matter how many times they had been close. He closed his eyes with his stomach tingling and kissed Hannibal's lips tentatively, immediately he was met by Hannibal's soft lips and they kissed for a while. Hannibal withdrew, joy played over his face, the crinkles at the end of his eyes were visible. Will smiled at him and they chuckled together.

"Come, the food is ready and I have something thing to tell you," Hannibal said with swift tug at Will’s hand and they went to the kitchen.

A large turkey among tomatoes and salad leaves lay on a silver tray in the middle of the table, next to it was a bowl with mashed potatoes. It smelled delicious and Will’s stomach rumbled of hunger. He took his place opposite of his husband, Hannibal served him red wine. A letter was at the side of Hannibal’s plate. Will looked questioningly at it, Hannibal watched his puzzled face and served himself the wine before he sat down. He opened the letter, whose stamp was already opened.

" _Who uses stamps today?_ " Will thought and took a big bite of turkey along with a spoon of mashed potatoes. He wondered if the turkey was made of human flesh, or if it was actually turkey meat.

" _It doesn’t matter_ ", he thought with a shrug and took a bite. The meat almost melted in his mouth, it was among the best dishes he had eaten. The smoky taste of the meat mixed with the creamy taste of mashed potatoes was wonderful.

Winston came pattering across the floor and sat down at Will's side, looked at him with big pleading eyes.

Hannibal gave the dog an annoyed look and looked at Will a hard stare. Will chuckled and shooed Winston away, the dog disappeared into the living room again with his tail dropping. Will knew that Hannibal didn’t actually like dogs or animals in general, but fortunately he had agreed to buy a dog for Will's sake. When things had calmed down with the police, Hannibal had taken him to the nearest animal shelter, letting him choose which dog he wanted. Winston had apparently ended up there, and Will had chosen him without even looking at the other dogs, even though he would’ve wanted them all if Hannibal had allowed him. The happiness he had felt being reunited with Winston could not be described in words.

"We received this letter addressed to us this morning and I've read through it and thought about it. I thought that I would hear with you before I’ll burn it up”, Hannibal said absently and handed the letter to Will. He opened it curiously, the first thing he noticed was the old-fashioned handwriting, it was very similar to Hannibal's handwriting, but it still had an older spirit compared to Hannibal’s more modern writing. He read through the lines quickly, a stab of mixed emotions went through him when he read the sender's name at the end of the letter. _Robert Lecter_.

"Your... your uncle? But isn’t he supposed to be dead?" Will said breathlessly, his fingers had begun to tremble. He put down the letter beside him and gave Hannibal a shocked gaze. The other man's face was void of emotion, he shook his head.

"I thought he was dead but fate has proven otherwise," he said indifferently and ate a piece of food that lay uneaten on his plate. Will suddenly became irritated, how could Hannibal be so impartial? His uncle was alive!

"Your uncle wants to invite us for dinner... Christmas Dinner. On Christmas Eve. Chiyoh and Lady Murasaki will be there too”, said Will slowly while he tasted the words in his mouth. He could hardly believe it, he would celebrate Christmas together with the Lecter family. He was going to meet Hannibal's relatives.

Hannibal gave Will a troubled look, he had no desire to see his relatives after so many years of absence from them. Furthermore, meeting his uncle who claimed to be dead? No. He wanted to celebrate his first real Christmas alone with Will in the house, without any relatives.

"We are going, right Hannibal?" Will said determined, it was not a question. His eyes were firm, he wouldn’t give up easily.

Hannibal pushed his plate away and looked at something else.

"No," was his only response. He folded his napkin and placed it over his empty plate.

Will laughed a joyless laugh, shaking his head.

“It is clear that we are going Hannibal! You haven’t seen your family for years, and now they've invited _us_ for Christmas dinner. We are going!” Will said and went from table to retrieve a piece of paper and a pen in the office.

Hannibal sighed at his husband, drummed his fingers irritably against the table’s surface. Why couldn’t he understand that he didn’t want Will to meet them? That _he_ didn’t want to meet them? His relatives would not bring anything of significance to their lives. He thought of his uncle and snorted irritably, typical of him to look up their address even though it was under protected identity.

Will came back with paper and pen, moved his chair so that it stood next to Hannibal’s and sat down.

"Now, we write an answer together, you are going to write it though, because I can’t write as well as you and your uncle," said Will jokingly but Hannibal looked coldly at him, took the pen brusquely away from him and began to write a reply. Will watched while Hannibal brought the pen along the paper, every word was like its own work of art. It fascinated him.

"I’ll put the letter in the mail," Will said when the letter was written, secured in a stamped envelope. He took it from Hannibal and whistled at Winston who immediately came running with his ears pricked.

"Come on buddy, let's go out and post the letter," he said to Winston, and went into the hall to put on his clothes. Hannibal followed him and rested against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Don’t expect that they will be like-," he struggled with trying to find the right word, "- _normal_ people," he said finally, looking at Will.

Will sighed as he put on Winston’s collar and clasped the leash in the ring that was fastened to the collar.

"Hannibal, have you and I ever been _normal_ people? Why should I believe that your relatives are “normal”? I have met Chiyoh, I know how she is," Will snorted and put on his beanie.

"See you", he said and waved nonchalantly to Hannibal before closing the door behind him.

Hannibal didn’t move, he stared after his husband with heavy feeling inside his chest.

~

"Do we have everything with us? Passports, airline tickets, Winston's passport and documents that proves he is vaccinated?” Will asked as they stood in the bedroom with the suitcases laying on top of the bed. Hannibal had a checklist in hand and thumbed through its pages as he chewed on the tip of a pen.

"Everything is packed," he said indifferently, and shut his suitcase smoothly. Will sighed at his behavior, shut his suitcase and lifted it from the bedroom into the hall.

"Then we’re going to the airport," he said happily and leashed Winston. They went out into the yard, the snow crunching under their feet. A cab rolled into the yard, the taxi driver stepped out of the car and helped them with their bags. Winston jumped obediently into the cage in the trunk next to the bags and laid down. Will stroked his head and murmured soothing words to him before the trunk was closed and he sat next to Hannibal in the back seat. The taxi driver started to drive towards the airport.

~

Will waved goodbye to Winston for the fifth time and looked anxiously at him while he was rolled away in a cage along with some other animals to the airplane that would take them to Lithuania. Hannibal pulled Will close and kissed his forehead.

"Don’t be worried Will, Winston will be all right," he murmured lovingly at Will’s curls and hugged him. Will dug his face into Hannibal's neck and returned his hug. Felt a calmness spread inside his tensed body. He always had a concern about Winston, he didn’t want to lose him again.

"Let’s go through the gate, it’s soon time anyway," Hannibal said to talk about something else to make Will have happier thoughts. Will nodded and they released one another, took each other's hands and went through the security checks and boarding gate without any problems.

They stood in the relative long queue to get into the plane and waited. They showed their passports and boarding passes, and got permission to go out to the plane waiting on them. The engines were already running, the loud sound cut into Will's ears, and he hoped that Winston wasn’t panicking in the cage. Hannibal held his hand tightly on the way to the stairs that went up to the plane, walked behind him with his eyes fixed on his neck as they walked up the stairs. If Will for some reason would fall, Hannibal was there to protect him. As always.

The flight attendant greeted them, she quickly looked at their passports and boarding passes and let them inside the plane.

"Welcome aboard Mr. Graham", she said smiling to Hannibal and curtsied. A pleasant feeling of joy and love warmed Will when he heard her speak Hannibal's new last name. He was so happy that Hannibal took his last name rather than keeping his own.

The stewardess turned to look at Will, "Welcome aboard Mr. Graham”, she continued, and curtsied again. She went before them and showed them the way to their seats in the first class part of the plane.

"Have a nice trip. One of my colleagues will soon and provide you with what you need”, she said before she walked away.

Will sat on the window seat and clasped the belt across his stomach, the thrill of flying made his stomach tingle and the thought that he would meet the Lecter family in a couple of hours made his head spin. The sky outside the window was gray, the clouds were heavy with snow. He hoped they would fly without any complications.

Hannibal sat down beside him with a relaxed expression on his face. He stretched out his legs and leaned his head backwards, closed his eyes and smiled contentedly. He liked to fly, it was relaxing to just sit still for a few hours and think of nothing. His smile quickly disappeared, however, when he thought about _where_ they were going. A clammy hand clutched Hannibal's hand, he opened his eyes and looked at Will who smiled gently at him.

"This will be good," Will tried to assure Hannibal and brought his hand to his mouth, gave the wedding ring a light kiss. Hannibal smiled and rubbed his thumb over the ring that adorned Will’s finger. It gleamed in the gray light from outside. He remembered the day they’d chosen the rings, it had taken a while to find the right rings that fit both their taste. When the rings were found, they had eaten at the restaurant and toasted in the happiness that they would soon marry. That day was one of the best days of Hannibal's life. He smiled at the memory and saw that Will was thinking of the same thing.

A male flight attendant entered the area and took orders from passengers. Will ordered a whiskey while Hannibal ordered a glass of champagne. They would have their orders when they were up in the air. The male flight attendant began to demonstrate the safety regulations, while he demonstrated, the plane rolled slowly from its parking before it ran out on the track. The stewardess was finished with his demonstration and sat down at his place. The engines roared outside the window while the speed increased and the G-force pressed them into their seats. Will closed his eyes, his heart hammered and he hugged Hannibal's hand tightly when the plane finally took off into the air.

Will was still hugging Hannibal's hand when the plane found its flight path, smoothing into a straight line. Hannibal stroked his fingers soothingly and kissed his cheek scarred from the battle with Dolarhyde. The scar was almost shaped as a crescent.

"You don’t need to be afraid Will. I'm here to protect you," he whispered comfortingly and Will’s scrunched eyes eased up when he heard Hannibal’s voice.

"You can open your belt if you feel like it. You’ll feel less confined if you do”, Hannibal smiled and watched as Will undid the belt that was firmly attached around his stomach. The steward came with their order, he poured the whiskey to Will in a large glass and the champagne to Hannibal.

They toasted and sipped the drinks. The heat from the alcohol spread through Will's body and calmed his nerves. Atmospheric Christmas music filled the plane, Will yawned and suddenly felt tired. He leaned his chair backwards and went to sleep with Hannibal's hand in his.

~

"Will, wake up, we've landed." Hannibal's voice woke him. He looked confused out through the small window. The sky was dark and clear, sprinkled with stars. They had landed in Lithuania. Hannibal stood in the aisle and waited patiently for Will who rose sleepily from his chair. They went out of the plane and into the small airport, went through the passport control and waited for their luggage. A man came with the animal’s carriage, he took Winston’s cage and set it before them, waved at them before he went away. Will opened the cage and a tired but happy Winston met him. The dog crawled out of the cage and sat down in front of them. Will buried his fingers in the soft fur and caressed him lovingly.

"He needs to take a walk before we continue on. Can you take care of their bags so I can hurry outside with him?" he asked Hannibal.

"Of course Will," said Hannibal.

The bags came rolling when Will had gone out. Hannibal took them and went out the same way as Will. He followed his husband with his eyes, Winston walking beside him. It was colder here than in the US, the snow lay thick on the ground and hung heavily in the branches. Home. He was _home_. A dull feeling came over him. Soon they would sit in the taxi on the way to Lecter manor. He remembered Robert's hard blows and Lady Murasaki’s constant sobbing. The memory gave him a shiver down the spine, he tried to shake it off by thinking of other things. Hoped that Robert had changed, that Murasaki’s eyes were not as sad anymore. That Chiyoh’s smile had returned, the smile he was used to.

"He’s finished now, let’s get a taxi!" said Will suddenly as he had come back from the short walk, cut away Hannibal's gloomy thoughts.

They went back to the airport's entrance and caught a taxi. The trip to the mansion took a few hours, Will and Winston slept sweetly on the way there but Hannibal couldn’t sleep despite fatigue scratching his eyes. He looked out the car window, looking at the snow-covered the trees, thought he saw a deer on a field. He sighed and already anticipated their return to the United States. Lithuania was so gloomy and dark. Bleak. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep despite the thoughts that came close to strangling him.

A chime signaled that they had arrived. The destination they had chosen was not the mansion, they had chosen a residential area a few kilometers away from the mansion to not arouse suspicion. Robert had promised to meet them in a short telephone conversation he and Hannibal had a few days earlier. His tone had been as unemotional as usual, there was no sign that he had changed.

Will awoke to the tone and paid the taxi driver, they stepped out of the car, took their suitcases and Winston. The taxi drove away, disappearing into the snow mixed fog that had spread it wings over the place.

They had to wait a few minutes until a black car rolled next to the curb and stopped. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Robert Lecter stepped out of the car, wearing a long black coat and hat, his face was beautiful despite the signs of age that marked his, he was slim but tall and slightly muscular. His hair was dark gray with flecks of silver, his eyes were dark. His appearance reminded a little of Hannibal, their lips almost had the same shape. Winston wagged his tail and was about to say hello the man, but Will tightened the leash and the dog sat down.

Will felt a little out-of-place as he stood in his simple clothes, but he extended his hand and greeted Robert Lecter. The handshake he got from Lecter was solid and warm. The eyes under the hat looked curiously at Will. Hannibal Lecter gave his uncle a reserved handshake and a brief "hello". Robert shook his hand with a firm grip, returned his hello with a happy tone to his voice. He kept eye contact with Hannibal a while before Hannibal pulled away and closed his arm around Will's waist. Robert bent down to Winston and patted his head, Winston barked with his tail wagging wildly.

"It’s so nice that you are here! Let’s leave this foggy place and leave for the warmth in our house," said Robert smiling and helped them with the bags in the car. He had prepared an exclusive dog cage to Winston with a soft plaid covering the bottom of it. Winston happily jumped into the cage and made himself comfortable with his nose buried in the fabric. The tailgate closed and they were off.

"He seems pretty nice, he has even bought a cage to Winston," Will whispered quietly to Hannibal who was sitting next to him.

"It's just a façade," Hannibal whispered stubbornly and Will rolled his eyes, but Hannibal didn’t see it.

Robert turned on the radio and lovely classical music filled the car's space. It seemed like he and his nephew shared the same taste in music. Will smiled at the thought and wondered if it was Robert who introduced Hannibal's taste for classics. Probably.

During the journey the men was silent, all sunk in their own thoughts. Will had noticed the tension between Hannibal and Robert, he wondered why it was there and what it resulted from. Hannibal had been very quiet about his past, when Will had asked him about it, he’d answered that they would take it another time but that time never happened. Hannibal was avoiding his questions on purpose.

The car stopped outside the grand gate outside the Lecter family’s mansion. Will looked at the big yard and the majestic house, he remembered the last time he had visited and had tried to learn more about Hannibal. A completely different reason than what it was now. He chuckled, thinking how his life had changed in such a short time. Fantastic.

The gate opened electronically and Robert gassed into the yard. The bags were taken out of the car by a butler who waited for them in the snow storm, he rushed inside with them. Robert stepped out of the car and met Hannibal and Will when they came out in the yard. Will immediately went to the trunk and let out Winston into the wild who pounced happily around in the snow. Hannibal closed his hand around Will's and together they walked into the mansion with Winston running behind them.

The large hall they came into was illuminated with light candles on each side of the walls. The light was warm and cozy, welcoming. It smelled of delicious food throughout the house. An elderly elegant woman dressed in a long red dress came walking towards them. She had a beautiful doll-like face and dark eyes. Her black hair curled into waves across her chest. Her eyes glistened in the light from the candles, was she teary-eyed? She stopped in front of them, her arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture. Winston ran up to her with a wagging tail before he ran off and explored the giant house.

"Welcome home", she said with a big smile on her red-painted lips. Robert hung up his coat, then went to her and kissed her quickly on the mouth.

"Thank you," he smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

Lady Murasaki curtsied in front of Will and Hannibal, who still stood in the hall. She went over to Hannibal and kissed his cheek.

"It has been way too long time since we last met. It's so good to see you again," she said with warmth and kept his hands in hers, looked at him like a mother looking at her child. Hannibal’s reserved face broke into a smile and he kissed her hand.

"It's very nice to meet you again," he said softly and hugged her quickly before he turned to Will who was a little awkward and didn’t really know what he was supposed to do. Hannibal took his hand and pulled him close.

"This is my husband Will, you've probably heard about him from Chiyoh. They met a while ago,” he said, his voice like velvet and looked lovingly at Will who smiled a little embarrassed. He reached out his hand and introduced himself to Lady Murasaki.

"The dog that ran away from here, by the way, it ours. His name’s Winston," he said, chuckling and scratching his ear.

Lady Murasaki laughed softly and nodded.

"It's a nice dog you have, we are happy that he’s here!" she said. "Come with me now and have something to eat." She went with elegant steps to the dining room and they followed her, hand in hand. Will was glad that Hannibal was not as rigid anymore, he at least seemed to like Lady Murasaki.

The dining room was large and bright, the furniture was in Baroque style. Candles stood in line at the long dining table, a few lanterns hung along the walls, spreading a yellow warm light throughout the room.

In the middle of the room stood a huge Christmas tree dressed in silvery glitter and multi-colored lights, big red-colored Christmas Balls in glass hung around in it and a silvery Christmas tree spire adorned the top. Will had never seen a more beautiful Christmas tree throughout his life. He had just celebrated Christmas when he lived at home. Under the tree lay a pile of Christmas gifts in all shapes and colors. Will hadn’t had a thought about buying Christmas presents for the Lecter family. His face was hot from embarrassment.

"Sit down, me and Robert will come with the food in a moment," said Lady Murasaki before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Will sat at the place where his name was beautifully written on a name tag. Hannibal's name tag was placed at the chair next to his. The other man sat down next to him.

"We haven’t bought any presents for them Hannibal," Will hissed between his teeth and looked embarrassed at the beautiful Christmas presents lying under the thick branches. How could they have forgotten it? Hannibal snorted while he folded a Christmas themed napkin and placed it in his lap. He glanced at Will.

"We have no obligations that says we have to buy Christmas presents for them, Will. They spontaneously invited us here and bought presents for us, they can’t expect to get anything in return except our gratitude," he replied. Winston came trotting into the under the table and laid his head on Will's feet.

"If you’d told me that they had bought presents for us, I would’ve bought presents for them!" Will hissed irritably, he couldn’t understand why Hannibal was so rude all of a sudden, it was seldom he was rude. It was not like him.

"I didn’t know that they had bought presents for us Will. That's nothing to tell in advance? Anyhow, I have acquired Christmas gifts for them too, so you need not be so worried," Hannibal said and straightened the napkin in his lap that had become wrinkled from Winston’s trotting under the table.

Will sighed relieved and caressed Hannibal's cheek.

"How good then," he smiled, he was just about to kiss Hannibal's mouth when Chiyoh came into the room. She was dressed in a long black dress that glittered like a starry sky in the glow from the candles. Her hair was set up in classic taregami set, it hung gracefully over her back attached to a red ribbon. She looked nothing of the thick-skinned woman Will had met once before, now she looked younger and softer. She was beautiful.

She sat down opposite Hannibal where her place was and looked at them both with her large dark brown eyes. A small smile found its way to her lips.

"So you became one in the end?” she asked softly and looked at their ring adorned fingers. Hannibal smiled warmly at her and nodded slowly.

"That, we are," he said, stroking his fingers over Will’s ring.

"Hey Chiyoh, thanks for last," Will grinned and winked at her. She chuckled, the shyness she had earlier disappeared.

"I’m happy you accepted our invitation. It was actually Robert's idea, believe it or not”, she said. Hannibal could see the dark that clouded her eyes, but it quickly disappeared when Winston laid his head in her lap.

"Hello to you," she told him and scratched him behind the ear. He yelped happily with a flick of his tail. "He’s so cute. What breed is he?" she asked curiously.

"He's a stray, I found him walking alone on the road a few years ago and then took him home to me," Will explained, gazing at Winston with love in his eyes.

Chiyoh nodded and was about to say something when Robert and Lady Murasaki came into the dining room with their hands full of different dishes. They set the food on the table before they sat placed themselves in their chairs. Robert ended up on the other side of Hannibal, while Lady Murasaki ended up next to Chiyoh.

"Go ahead," Murasaki said warmly and they started to take food from the plates. When they had finished eating in silence, Hannibal turned to Robert with a hard expression on his face.

"So _dear_ uncle," Hannibal said, his voice dripping of poison while he stared into Robert's eyes. "Why have you invited us here? What is your motive? And why have not you told me that you are _alive_?" he snapped. Will put a cautionary hand on his thigh but Hannibal took no notice of him.

Robert looked offended for a second, but hid it with a smile. 

"Out of sheer benevolence. I and Murasaki talked about how nice it would be if you could come visit over Christmas and celebrate it with us here. It was such a long time ago we last met. And I have not been able to tell you-“, he looked at Will and then at Hannibal, “-That I’m alive because of various reasons. It wasn’t so easy to contact you either when you were wanted in America”, he chuckled and patted Hannibal’s thigh easily. 

"You could have told _me_ before we became wanted. Murasaki could have told me or Chiyoh even!" he said sarcastically, staring at Chiyoh with guilt. 

"Do you really think that me and Will want to be here with you?" Hannibal asked suddenly with anger in his voice, "With everything you've done to me? What do you even think?" He stood up, his body trembling in anger. 

"What are you doing here at all if you do not want to be here?” Robert asked, his voice hurt, he gave Hannibal a scared glance. Hannibal was standing menacingly in front of him, his eyes simmering with anger. 

"Hannibal, calm down and sit down on your chair", Will said as calmly as he could, he grabbed Hannibal's hand but Hannibal ignored it, kept staring at Robert. 

Murasaki leaned over the table and looked at the three men, especially at Hannibal. 

"Stop it, all of you! Hannibal, sit down! I do not want any trouble at this table! If you are going to have a fight you have to bring it elsewhere! I will not tolerate any kinds of fighting in here!" she said in a loud and determined voice. 

Hannibal returned to his chair and ate what was left on his plate before he left the table with a silent "thank you." Chiyoh looked disappointed after him and Murasaki sighed sadly. Robert sighed as well and shook his head miserably. The dinner had not turned out the way they expected. 

"I apologize, I don’t know what’s up with him. He has been grumpy since you sent the letter and he refuses to tell why he is so grumpy when I ask him”, Will said embarrassed and scratched his hair nervously. Murasaki smiled sympathetically at him, a sad expression darkened her face. 

"I'll tell you why Hannibal is so reserved towards us," she began, her eyes were dim with grief. "When Hannibal was just a boy, before he came to us, he lived with his parents and sister in this house. As you probably know, a terrible thing happened with his sister Mischa, his parents died in about the same time and since, Hannibal has tormented himself both mentally and physically. The incident with Mischa changed him completely and he began to have severe delusions and hallucinations about what happened to Mischa and his parents, he saw it again and again in the form of hallucinations. Instead of seeing the people who ruthlessly murdered his parents and Misha, he saw Robert hitting me and Chiyoh, at times he saw Robert killing us or even eating our flesh. What he thinks has happened, have never occurred. Everything he believes of us are just delusions of his twisted mind. We have tried to fix him in every possible way, but it is so deeply rooted in him. It’s impossible to remove”, she sighed, and her eyes filled with tears. Robert sat down beside her and hugged her, Chiyoh joined up beside them and joined the hug. 

Will looked shocked at them, a wave of sadness washed over him. This explained why Hannibal was who he was, why he had problems feeling empathy for other people, why he sometimes had a sad look upon his face, never explaining why. 

"And the cannibalism?" Will asked carefully, hoping he was not too harsh. “Is it also a part of him that is based from the tragic event with his family or are you cannibals too?” 

Robert smiled gently with Will while he stroked Murasaki’s back. 

"Only Hannibal does it. It is a disorder from the events with his family. It’s also a way he torments himself with”, Robert said sadly as he looked at Murasaki who looked just as sad. Chiyoh looked resolute, she probably thought of her meeting with Will and the prisoner she had killed. 

Will wondered if they knew how many people Hannibal had murdered over the years, if they knew that he was wanted by the police because of their cannibalism, if they knew that he was just like Hannibal, he longed as much for the taste of human flesh as Hannibal. He decided to leave it out and not say anything about it. If they wanted to know, they could ask Hannibal themselves. 

"Thank you so much for the food, Lady Murasaki, Count Lecter, Chiyoh", Will said gratefully and thanked them with a slight bow. Murasaki gave Will a horrified look. 

"You can’t leave now Will, we still have the dessert to eat!” she said firmly and rose from the table. 

"Oh all right," said Will a little embarrassed, "I will go to Hannibal and tell him," he said quickly, and disappeared off from the dining room with Winston trotting behind him. He had heard Hannibal go up the grand staircase earlier and followed him with Winston pattering beside him. 

Upstairs was darker than the bottom floor. Two large halls went to the right and left with a many doors leading to different rooms. Will gambled that Hannibal had turned right and walked through the long hallway, it was hard to see in the dull light. A quilt rustled from a room a few meters away from Will, he hurried but Winston hurried before him. 

Hannibal stood in the light of a fire that was crackling in the stove and set the giant double bed. Over the bed hung a large painting of an angel holding an open scroll, Will thought it was a copy of a part of the painting _Averoldi Polyptych_. The angel looked resolutely over the scroll, its face had a mystique air around it. Will wondered why the painting hung in here and why. Was it to show Hannibal's innocence he had as a child before the accident? Except for the painting, the room was quite bare except for a bookcase that stood at the right side of the stove. 

Winston had already placed himself at Hannibal's feet and refused to move away even though Hannibal almost tripped over him while he made the bed. Will joined up behind Hannibal, wrapped his arms around Hannibal's hips and buried his face in his back. Enjoyed having him so close. 

"How are you? You left the dinner so quickly, the dessert and your family is waiting for you…” Will murmured softly and felt Hannibal muscles tense when he made finished setting the bed. 

"I have no desire for dessert, and I would rather be left alone," he said flatly, put the pillow neatly on the bed and then turned to Will. His eyes were sad but the rest of his face was indifferent. Will closed his eyes and kissed him softly, wanted to get rid of that sad gaze and replace it with joy instead. He hoped that one day he would realize that Robert never had hurt him, that it was only a distorted reality created by his broken soul. Will wanted to repair him, find the puzzle pieces that Hannibal had lost and put them together. Help him become _whole_. In a way, Will had already helped him becoming more human, but there was still a long way to go. Too many events that was still sweltering under the surface. Hannibal met his kiss and they kissed for a while before Hannibal pulled away and sat on the bed, staring at the painting with the angel. 

"They tried to make me believe that I was their angel, but that is not the truth. I'm the opposite; I'm a demon, clawing at their souls and delight in their flesh. I and Francis Dolarhyde is not completely different from each other”, He laughed joyless and turned his gaze away from the painting. 

Will sank down on the bed beside him and took his hands and held them tightly against his chest. 

"Would a demon swear love to a human in sickness and in health? Would a demon swear to share their joy and sorrow with a human, would a demon swear being faithful until death do them apart? Would a demon want to share their entire life with a human?” He kissed Hannibal’s fingers. 

“No, a demon would not feel love for a human, the demon would not feel sorrow or joy, it would not swear an oath of love, binding it forever... The demon would devote to its lusts and eat the human’s flesh, piece by piece. But an angel", Will caressed Hannibal's cheek and smiled gently at him,"- An angel would swear eternal love, an angel would share his joy and sorrow with a human. An angel would be faithful to his human until death do them part", he kissed Hannibal's lips lovingly and passionately, a lone tear rolled down from Hannibal's eye and landed on Will's cheek.

"I love you, Hannibal," Will murmured, hugging Hannibal firmly, he lay his head against Hannibal's chest, felt a few tears dripping into his hair. His grip around Will became firmer and a sob escaped from Hannibal's mouth. His body trembled slightly in Will's arms 

Winston whined anxiously from the floor, sat up and put his paw on Will's lap and licked his nose but Kind-master didn’t gave him any attention. Winston spun a lap before he lay down again, hoping that tough-but-kind master would stop whining soon and be happy again. There was nothing wrong with whining, everyone did it, even his masters. He had seen the soft master do it a few times when they were still at their old den, and he had always tried to comfort soft-master whenever he whimpered. Now, it was tough-but-kind master who comforted him instead. Winston whipped his tail happily, he knew tough-but-kind master would be okay with soft-master. 

Will wiped away another tear that rolled down from Hannibal slightly red eyes and kissed his lightly wet cheek. The salty taste of tears spread across his lips. Hannibal gave Will a small smile, he stroked Will’s cheek gently with his fingers.

"I love you, Will," he murmured lovingly. 

Will smiled at him and caught his hand. 

"Let's go down and eat dessert," he suggested gently, Hannibal pondered his answer for a moment before he nodded slowly with a smile. They got up from the bed and took each other's hands, walked slowly toward the stairs that would take them down to the dining room. 

Hannibal still had far to go to before he would be freed from the chains of his mind, but maybe a mortal man like Will could help the angel find the parts of his missing key, mend them together piece by piece and unlock the chains that bound the tormented angel. Only time would tell. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for my friend on Twitter who specifically requested this from me. I hope you like it dearie!


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